Landers Farm - Spring - Carter's Story: Landers Farm Series, #4

By Vicki Connellan

Book 4 in the Landers Farm Series is the story of Carter. Second eldest of the Landers clan, Carter is the romantic, the soft sided cattle farmer who loves to bake, watch rom-coms, and hang out with his niece Hannah. Carter's the one all the others turn to for advice, whether it be life advice, or relationship advice. But what happens when the romantic guy is lonely?

All Carter wants is someone to love, someone to share his life with, to have a family with, to grow old with, so what happens when he finds the woman of his dreams, but there's something standing in their way?

Does he fight for her?

Does he turn and walk away?

What happens when his heart is already in too deep?

He's not sure. But one thing Carter does know, is that all his loved up Landers siblings are not going to make this easy for him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vicki Connellan
• Release date: Oct 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9780648443902

Vicki Connellan

Vicki was born in Orange, NSW. When she was two years old her family moved to Dapto, a southern suburb of Wollongong. She was kicked out of pre-school at the age of four (for reasons that she will keep to herself).   When she was sixteen she moved with her parents and two sisters (Vicki is the typically misunderstood middle child) to the ACT where, ironically she studied Child Care so she could work in a pre-school. Now, at the age of 45 she still lives in Canberra with her husband and three adult/teenage children.   Vicki works full time (not in the child care industry!) and is an avid baker. She spends her time taxiing her kids around and baking cup cakes for all the kids who constantly fill the house.    Vicki has always enjoyed writing and is now taking the time to put her stories to print.  You can contact Vicki via email at [e-mail] with any questions or  feedback on her book.  If you enjoyed the book please take the time to leave a quick review. 

Book preview

Spring

Chapter 1

CARTER

They say spring is the time for love and new beginnings, and I guess they were right. It was the first day of spring, and my brother was starting the season as an engaged man. I couldn't believe it at breakfast when he told us all that he’d proposed to Paige last night, and that she’d said yes. It took ages for the congratulations and the hugs to be over, and of course, Hannah was super excited about being a flower girl again.

Jealousy wasn't a trait that I liked in a person, it was a bit shallow really, but right now, looking at Bec and Luke, Mason and Steph, and now Tate and Paige, I couldn't help be a little envious of what they had.

My family teased me all the time for being a soppy romantic, but I didn’t care. Nothing felt better than being in love, or being loved. I was so sick of being alone, I was sick of one-night stands, not that there’d been any of those for a while now, and I was sick of short-term relationships. I wanted something substantial, something with meaning and promise. I wanted someone that I could share my life with, and me theirs. Surely that wasn't too much to ask for.

Maybe Bec was right when she said I needed to get out more, but what was there to do here in Lanica? Nothing really, and I sure as hell wasn't about to move away from the farm. I grew up on this land, I’d probably die on this land too, and that was fine by me. Even if it meant living alone and dying alone, I wouldn’t change my mind on that. Landers farm was in my blood, and I honestly couldn't see myself living anywhere else. This is where I’m happy, so this is where I'm staying.

What do you think boy? I scratched Zorro’s nose. We’re part of this land aren’t we boy, there’s nowhere else for us, I rubbed his nose some more. Want to go for a ride boy? First day of spring, it’s a beautiful day, I kept talking to him as I saddled him up. Zorro had been my horse for the past three years now, and while he was generally good natured, every now and again he had a bit of a temper, and that temper usually flared when he was being saddled up for a ride.

Zorro and I rode to the far paddocks to check the cattle, then we rode some of the fence line to make sure everything was fine there too. I made a mental note to come back tomorrow and fix a section of the fence that was looking a bit dodgy, then we headed across to my archery range. I hadn't shot many arrows through winter, and I was looking forward to getting back into it.

Mase, Tate and Ash could never understand the attraction of shooting arrows, they much preferred to hunt the wild pigs with guns, but for me, it was the bow and arrow all the way. I liked the way it tested my skill and made me have to think about all the variables that I had to take into account when shooting arrows. Anyone could point and shoot a gun, but with the bow and arrow you needed to focus and concentrate on the target. It made you really stop and think before taking the shot. Wild pigs were a menace around here, but that didn't mean I wanted them to suffer. The only good kill was a clean kill, one where the animal was gone before it knew what had hit it, not one where it suffered a slow agonising death. That wasn't right, and it wasn't necessary either.

We need to fix the fence around the range Zorro, I leant forward and rubbed his neck. Don't want Hannah and that pony of hers wandering through when I'm out here shooting do we? I pulled on the reigns and turned him towards the barn. Come on boy, we trotted back to the barn, and just as we got there, Ash and Hannah came around the corner.

Hi Uncle Carter, Hannah was waving like mad, and Ash was telling her to put two hands on the reigns.

Hey Pumpkin, I got off my horse and went to my brother and his daughter. What are you up to?

Big Daddy and me are going to make some cup cakes, but we need the right pan and we don't have one. Do you have a cup cake pan we can borrow? Hannah looked at me. Daddy said you love to bake so you might have one.

Ash had the shittiest grin on his face when Hannah spoke about my love of baking, and I was tempted to tell him to get lost, but Hannah looked so excited about making cup cakes. I don't have a cup cake tray, but I do have to go into town, why don't you come with me and we can buy one while we’re there, I rubbed Sparkles nose. We can buy Big Daddy a cooking apron too, I looked at my brother. Something with flowers maybe.

I don't need an apron, Ash shook his head at me. What time are you going into town?

Just need to rub Zorro down and get him settled in the barn, I looked at my watch. I’ll swing by your place and get Hannah in about half an hour.

EXACTLY TWENTY MINUTES later, I pulled my truck up at the front of Ash’s place. Hannah came bounding down the stairs and leapt up into my arms. I’m ready Uncle Carter, and Big Daddy gave me some money to pay for the pan, Hannah held up her My Little Pony purse, then she leant in and whispered in my ear. But if you pay for the pan I can use this money to buy us some ice cream at the diner. She held my face in her hands and smiled at me. We can, she nodded.

Sounds like a plan Pumpkin, I put her into the back seat of the truck. Seat belt on. I closed the door and turned to Ash. Won’t be long, I got in the truck and waved to him. Enjoy the quiet time.

Hannah didn't stop talking for most of the drive into town, the kid was like a machine. In the supermarket, she went in search of the cup cake pans, and I started to load my basket with the ingredients for home made pizzas. Everyone was coming to my place tonight for a pizza dinner and some drinks around the fire pit. It was a first day of spring tradition on the farm, one that I looked forward to every year, mostly because until recently, the majority of our meals were had at the farmhouse. But now that Gran had moved in with Charlie, and Mason and Steph had their own place, and Ash had Hannah, we’d been sharing meal times around. Most mornings breakfast was at the farmhouse, as was lunch, but dinner alternated between Mason, Tate’s, and my place, which was nice. It gave me an excuse to use my gourmet kitchen.

Once I had everything I needed, I went in search of Hannah. She’d been gone too long, and I was starting to worry. I knew she’d never leave the supermarket without me, and chances are we were the only ones in here, but I wanted to find her none-the-less. Ash would never speak to me again if anything happened to his daughter.

There you are, I stopped when I saw Hannah. She was standing in the aisle with the kitchen items, but she wasn't alone. Hannah, I called out as I walked towards her, when she heard me, she turned around with a huge smile on her face. Did you find the pan Pumpkin?

Yeah, Skye said we need this one, she said it makes the cup cakes cook straighter than that one, Hannah pointed to another cup cake tray on the shelf. Skye’s my new friend, and she said that pans that make the cup cakes straight makes it easier to put the frosting on because they haven’t all spilled out over the top, so can we get this one?

Sure, I answered Hannah, but I couldn't take my eyes off the woman standing beside her. Thanks for your help, I held my hand out to the woman. I’m Carter.

Skye, she shook my hand, but she was a little shy, which was cute as hell. And no problem, always happy to help out a fellow baker, she looked at Hannah. Good luck with the cup cakes Hannah, she gave Hannah a little wave, and then walked away.

I like Skye, she’s pretty, like Princess Jasmine, do you think she’s pretty like Princess Jasmine? Hannah took my hand as we walked out of the aisle.

Yeah, I do Pumpkin, Hannah was right, Skye was pretty like Princess Jasmine, and I couldn't help look back over my shoulder at her. When I found her looking at me, I gave her a smile and a little nod, which she returned before disappearing around the corner of the aisle. She was either new in town, or just passing through, I wasn't sure which, but one thing I was sure of, Skye and I were meant to meet today. I could feel it. There was something about her, and there was something that told me we would meet again.

SKYE

As I walked back to the little cottage I was renting, I couldn't stop thinking about that man and his little girl. The kid was cute, but the father was damn gorgeous. It had been a long time since I’d looked at a man other than Gino like that, and although I thought I’d feel guilty about that, I didn't. If the past year had taught me anything, it was that I had nothing to feel guilty about, and that even though I wasn't exactly ready to have another man in my life right now, maybe it wasn't too far off in the future for me.

Afternoon love, I was just inside my front gate when I heard her. Damn it. There was no escaping now. No quick get away for me. The last time she caught me more than two hours passed as she chatted away. How are you settling in?

Afternoon Mrs Kershaw, I raised my free hand and waved. I’m settling in just fine thanks. You have a lovely afternoon. I started to walk away, but my elderly neighbour was having none of that.

I’m just waiting for my friend to come collect me, we’re heading up to the bowls club for the afternoon, you can join us if you want? We only have a couple of sherry’s and a little flutter on the poker machines, then we’ll be home again, she looked at me as she stood by her front gate.

Thanks for the offer Mrs Kershaw, that’s very kind, but I want to get some cooking done so I have some meals to take to work for lunch, I hoped that sounded like a plausible enough excuse to get me out of an afternoon of sherry and poker machines.

That’s a sensible idea love, much cheaper than buying your lunch every day isn’t it? she gave me a wave as her friend pulled up. Bye love.

I watched the two old ladies drive off down the street, and then I headed inside. Truth was, I wasn't up for an afternoon of cooking, I was up for an afternoon of sitting on the couch with some chocolate and my kindle. I’d been looking forward to this all week, and I wasn't about to give that up for anyone.

My first week at the medical centre had been crazy busy to say the least. Since Maureen had decided to retire she’d been on a mission to have every inch of the medical centre scrubbed from top to bottom, every supply cupboard stocked to the hilt, every old file archived, every full file archived, and a new one started. The cleaning task was huge, the filing and administration tasks were huge, and on top of that, she’d scheduled a maintenance call on all of the machines in the centre as well. Then there were the patients to see on top of that. It was madness. Still, when the new girl started next week Maureen’s focus would be on giving her a hand over, which would mean her mind wouldn't be on cleaning or filing, so I’d be able to concentrate on what I did best, helping people.

I must have read the first line on the page about ten times. There was no point in trying to focus on the book when all I kept thinking about was Carter and his little girl Hannah. It was stupid of course, to be thinking about a married man like that, but there was something about him and the way he smiled at me. I’d never act on it of course, I knew what it was like to be the victim of cheating, and I would never do that to someone else, never.

Giving up on trying to read, I turned to Netflix and settled on one of my old favourites, The Notebook. Oh Ryan Gosling, why can’t you walk into my life and sweep me off my feet? I'm sure I could find some jobs around this old cottage that need the attention of a cute handyman. Instead, I'm swept off my feet by a handsome Italian with more charms than a Pandora factory, and look where that got me. Twenty-eight years old, soon to be divorced, childless, and in desperate need of sex. I let out a loud sigh, which was heard by no one of course.

Moving to Lanica was my attempt at starting over. It had been a full year since I walked in on Gino that day, and the divorce papers should be served to him any day now. I knew he wouldn't be happy with that, and he’d probably try to fight it, but he wouldn't win. He’d made his decision when he started messing around, there was no going back now.

I hadn't told Gino where I was moving to, in fact, it had been three months since I’d even spoken to him. The day I put the house on the market I sent him a text to let him know the house was for sale, and that I’d make sure he got his half of the money once the mortgage was paid off, not that he needed it, and he told me as much. When he said I could keep the lot, I didn't argue, I simply agreed, asked him if he wanted any of the furniture, then ended the conversation.

I’d fallen in love with Gino the minute I saw him. He was like this Italian god, all tanned with sculptured abs that I couldn't stop staring at. We were at Bondi beach. He was with a group of friends, and so was I. We happened to set up next to each other and that was it. We started talking and one thing led to another. A year later we were married, and now, three years later we’re getting divorced. Not the way I saw my life going, but hey, what can you do?

CARTER

Apart from the fresh wildflowers, the sounds of birds singing, and the new calves, the first few weeks of spring also brought with it an explosion in the feral pig population. They seemed to breed like rabbits over the winter, and man could those things cause some damage to cattle and property. The fences always took a real battering from the bigger boars, and I had a few that needed fixing this week.

First though, I wanted to take care of the two huge boars that had appeared recently. I was sure they were the cause of the damage, and with them gone, I’d be able to fix the fence and it’d stay fixed. Ash, Mason, Tate and I were going out tonight to see if we could hunt them down. We’d asked Luke if he wanted to join us, but he said while he understood the feral boars were a menace, he still couldn't ethically bring himself to go hunting, which was fair enough, he was a vet after all.

I was in the barn fixing some new arrowheads onto the shafts when it happened. Before I even knew that the arrowhead was slipping, it had cut straight through my hand, slicing a big gash right across my palm and down past my thumb. There was blood everywhere, and while it wasn't ideal, the closest thing I grabbed to push into the wound was a dirty rag from the workbench.

This wasn't good. Even under the pressure of the rag, I could feel the blood oozing and the cut opening up further with every little movement. I wasn't surprised that the cut went deep, the arrowheads were sharp, they had to be to ensure a clean kill and no suffering.

Driving was out of the question, I needed to keep pressure on this cut or I’d lose more blood than I could afford to.

Bec, I yelled out to her as she walked towards my house. Thank god, I said a silent prayer that she was here.

Holy shit, Carter, what happened? she waddled over to me as fast as she could.

Sliced my hand with an arrowhead, I nodded towards my truck. Can you take me into the medical centre? It’s more than Gran or Luke can fix.

I climbed into the passenger seat and had to laugh as Bec stretched across me so she could do up my seatbelt. This stomach is getting in the way of everything lately.

Not much longer now, I looked into the back seat for anything I could use to soak up the blood. We need to hurry, I don't want to pass out on you and I'm losing a lot of blood here.

Half an hour later, we came to a screeching halt out the front of the medical centre, and Bec raced around to help me out. You drive like a mad woman, I looked at her as we walked into the medical centre.

You said I needed to get you here fast, she went to the counter and spoke to the receptionist.

Lordy Mr Landers, what did you do? the older woman ushered us into one of the examination rooms. Dr Jamison’s with a patient and Paige is plastering up a young Dylan’s arm, I’ll send Skye in to tend to you until the Doc’s free.

Skye. That got my attention. I knew I’d be seeing